Degradation of the endocrine-disrupting 4-nonylphenol by ferrate(VI): biodegradability and toxicity evaluation

Autor: Jin Momotori, Kotaro Kikuchi, Ayumi Ito, Nao Ishikawa, Makoto Sasamoto, Warunee Limmun, Teruyuki Umita, Masanori Terasaki, Takumu Sato
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 29:18882-18890
ISSN: 1614-7499
0944-1344
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17167-1
Popis: 4-Nonylphenol (4-NP) is an endocrine-disrupting and persistent chemical and is partially degraded in conventional wastewater treatment processes. Ferrate(VI) can be used as an environment-friendly oxidizing agent to mediate 4-NP degradation. Thus, this paper evaluates the biodegradability of 4-NP and its degradation products after the addition of ferrate(VI). The biodegradability was examined using NP labeled with 14C as a tracer and activated sludge microorganisms as an inoculum. The addition of ferrate(VI) to the 4-NP solution spiked with the tracer resulted in no remarkable decrease in the concentration of 14C, indicating incomplete mineralization of 4-NP and formation of degradation products. The degradation products from 4-NP with Fe(VI) were estimated based on mass spectra, which detected a unique peak at m/z 223 at low intensity. Four hydrogen atoms might have been added to 4-NP by degradation with Fe(VI). In addition, the effect of ferrate(VI) concentration on the estrogenic activity of 4-NP in an aqueous solution was investigated using a yeast bioassay. The results show that estrogenic activity was significantly decreased at a mass ratio of Fe(VI) to 4-NP greater than or equal to 2.5.
Databáze: OpenAIRE